1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to shelters, and more particularly to a portable screen room enclosure and a method of attaching same to a wall of a structure.
2. Description of Related Art
Recreational vehicles (“RVs”) are becoming an ever more popular alternative for vacationers. They provide many of the same comforts of home in a mobile package that can be relocated to many vacation destinations where permanent lodging is not available. Unlike tents, RVs provide durable shelter that can withstand severe weather conditions and provide security to persons and property therein. However, the dimensions of RVs, and accordingly, the usable area therein is limited to allow them to safely navigate public roads.
To provide a user with more usable space without making the RV too large for public roads, several detachable screen rooms have been developed for use while the RV is deployed at a desired destination. They also enable users to enjoy the outdoors without irritation from pests such as insects and spiders. Such screen rooms are typically comprised of a front panel that hangs from an awning assembly attached to the RV, and two side panels that extend from a side of the RV to the front panel to complete the screen room enclosure. The side panels are sized to extend along the awning at their upper portions, and along the ground at their lower portions. Each side panel must fasten to a side of the front panel at their outer edge and to the side of the RV at their inner edge. To prevent the admission of weather such as rain, and bothersome animals such as insects, the side panels must be attached to the side of the RV such that they form a suitably tight seal against the side of the RV without requiring a significant amount of labor.
Such screen room enclosures are also capable of being attached to structures, other than recreational vehicles, that have a generally vertical wall. Seasonally used cabins do not warrant the costly construction of a permanent screen room adjacent to the existing structure. Alternatively, unique occasions such as a party or gathering of people at a private residence, for example, require more interior gathering space than may be available at the residence. Screen room enclosures provide temporary interior space as needed without significant alterations to the existing structure.
Installing conventional screen room enclosures having locking fasteners is difficult, time consuming, and requires drilling at least two holes in the RV components for the installation of each fastener. After the fasteners are installed on the side of the RV, they cannot be easily removed. Typically, they must be unscrewed from the RV and the remaining holes must be filled with a sealing compound. When the fasteners are removed, the large number of holes left behind in the side of the RV weaken the integrity of the side wall and create an unpleasant appearance.
Methods of installing conventional screen room enclosures require the location of the installed fasteners to precisely correspond to the position of compatible fastening features on the side panels. These precise measurements accordingly increase the time required to carefully identify the appropriate location for installing the fasteners. An error in making such a determination will require drilling even more holes into the side of the RV to properly install the fasteners and correct the error. Further, obstructions, such as windows or wheel wells, for example, may be present at the locations on the RV corresponding to the position of the fastening features of the side panels, thus, interfering with the installation of the fasteners at those locations. Additionally, side panels that are fastened to the side of the RV periodically along the inner portion of the side panels may not form a suitably tight seal with the side of the RV to prevent the elements or animals from entering the screen room.
Alternative methods of fastening side panels to the side of an existing structure have been developed to overcome the aforementioned shortcomings of using conventional fasteners. These alternatives include the use of fasteners secured to the existing structure by an adhesive. The adhesively secured fasteners must have a sufficiently large surface area in contact with the side of the existing structure to withstand the forces the screen room will be subjected to due to wind, rain and the like, and remain attached to existing structure. The large adhesively secured fasteners create an unpleasant appearance when installed on the side of the structure. Additionally, the use of an adhesive to secure the fasteners to the structure requires a time consuming cleaning process before installing the fasteners. Structures treated with a coating such as a polymer sealant or protectant, for example, also require a user to follow special cleaning procedures that may include expensive cleaning agents. And existing structures constructed from materials that do not offer sufficient bonding surfaces prevent the use of this type of fastener. Furthermore, if the user desires to alter the dimensions of the screen room after installation of the adhesively secured fasteners, a second set of fasteners must be purchased and installed according to the dimensions of the new screen room.
Thus, there exists a need for a screen room enclosure for existing structures that is portable and simple to install and erect. The enclosure provides privacy and a degree of isolation from weather and pests. The enclosure also minimizes the amount of labor and the number of permanent alterations of the existing structure required for installation, while providing flexibility for the location of fasteners on the side of the existing structure. Once the enclosure is installed, it provides a user the option of enclosing the space adjacent the existing structure within the wall of the existing structure, the awning, and the enclosure to create an additional room.